Selling Otherness on YouTube: Digital inter-Asian Orientalism and YouTube monetization system
Year: 2024
Type: article
Abstract: This article investigates the influence of YouTube's monetization metrics on content creation practices and their reflection of geopolitical and economic factors. Using the case study of “Team Azimkiya,” a Bangladeshi YouTube channel primarily targeting South Korean viewers, the study introduces the concept of “global CPM arbitrage.” CPM, or cost per 1000 impressions, estimates advertising revenue for channels. Global CPM arbitrage characterizes content creators’ strategic approach to leverage varying CPM rates across geographic regions, optimizing their advertising revenue within the YouTube ecosystem. While CPM is often seen as an objective metric, the analysis of Team Azimkiya's strategies reveals its role in constructing audiences and directing higher-revenue viewers. In a platform that exhibits a preference for content from more affluent regions, self-Orientalization emerges as an effective content creation approach. This article argues that this approach can perpetuate the inter-Asian dynamic and the Orientalist gaze.
Author: Dasol Kim
Institution: SUNY New Paltz
Language: English
Subfield: Cultural Studies
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4394719830